Healthy Dessert Recipe: Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake

I don’t usually try vegan recipes but I was on dessert duty for an upcoming dinner party and I didn’t want to exclude the poor sods. When I saw these pretty little puddings, my vegan dessert worries flew out of the window as I was sure that they would please the non-vegans just as well. And I was not wrong! These mini blackberry cheesecakes were met with several compliments despite the fact that they were a bit misshapen by the time they’d travelled across London.

The “cheesecake” part tastes more like a fruity mousse and sits on top of a crust made from pecans and oats. They go very well together and the dessert is a great light alternative to sugary or creamy puds. What I love about this recipe is that you can mix up the fruit. Simply replace the blackberry with your favoured choice of berry or mix it up with a few.

Ingredients

Crust:

¾ cup oats

⅓ cup pecans

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Filling:

1 ½ cups cashews, soaked in warm water for 30mins

¾ cup fresh berries

⅓ unsweetened coconut milk

½ maple syrup

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Additional berries to garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. To make the crust, place oats and pecans in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds.

3. Add maple syrup and melted coconut oil and blend until combined.

4. Grease a muffin baking tray and divide mixture evenly. Use a spoon to flatten the mixture into the mould to form the cheesecake base.

5. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Allow to cool completely in the pan whilst you make the filling.

7. Drain the soaked cashews and blend in food processor with the berries, coconut milk and maple syrup for 1 to 2 minutes.

8. Pour in melted coconut oil and continue to blend until smooth and creamy.

10. Divide filling evenly onto the cooled crusts in the muffin tray then freeze to set for 1 to 2 hours.

11. Remove from freezer and carefully take out of muffin tray. Make sure they are properly frozen when you do this to avoid ruining their shape. I used a plastic knife to ease the dessert away from the edges and then they came out pretty easily.

12. Place in the fridge to store and defrost and garnish with berries to serve!

Hi, I'm Sunna, a fashion and lifestyle writer from London.
I graduated in Fashion Design at De Montfort University and have since discovered my love for writing. This blog shares my personal journey within the fashion industry together with anything inspiring I find along the way… Happy reading!